Pop & Rock

ZAC BROWN BAND Though their flag is nominally planted in the country-music world, Brown and his Atlanta cohorts are seasoned hands at reaching across the aisles to invite poptimists, jam-bandsters, and rockers into their party. Saturday’s show is sold out, officially, but tickets to big events like these do tend to materialize at the last minute. Aug. 20 and 21, 6:30 p.m. $41.50-$101.50. Fenway Park. boston.redsox.mlb.com

BILLY JOEL The reigning king of Madison Square Garden pays a return visit to Fenway for the third year running; as in those previous visits, expect tart humor, revealing stories, and hit songs by the dozen. Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m. $49.50- $139.50. Fenway Park. boston.redsox.mlb.com

Folk & World

CELTIC SOJOURN ROOTS & BRANCHES Host Brian O’Donovan brings the Roots & Branches version of the Celtic Sojourn series back to Lowell for a second year, with a full evening of music on tap from Canadian Maritimers Vishten, all-female group Girsa, Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely from Lunusa, and more. Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. $35. Boarding House Park, Lowell. 978-970-5200, www.lowellsummermusic.org

GAL HOLIDAY AND THE HONKY TONK REVUE New Orleans country? Not the first thing that you think of in relation to that town, musically speaking, but Vanessa “Gal” Niemann and company are proof that you can find legitimate, classically-rooted country music in the Crescent City. Aug. 23, 8 p.m. $12. Lizard Lounge, Cambridge. 800-838-3006. www.brownpapertickets.com

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STUART MUNRO

Jazz & Blues

KIRK KNUFFKE TRIO Currently best known as a member of drummer Matt Wilson’s quartet, this cornetist and bandleader has been making a name for himself as an adventurous musician well-grounded in the jazz verities. With bassist Stomu Takeishi, a sideman for everyone from Paul Motian to Henry Threadgill, and drum legend Bill Goodwin, who’s anchored the bands of both Phil Woods and Gary Burton. Aug. 18, 8 p.m. $20 Lily Pad, Cambridge. 617-395-1393, www.lilypadinman.com

Classical

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TANGLEWOOD Charles Dutoit curates an Ozawa Hall chamber music program on Thursday, and then leads the BSO in Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” on Friday. On Saturday, Andris Nelsons returns to the podium to conduct the first two acts of Verdi’s “Aida,” with Kristine Opolais as Aida, Andrea Carè as Radames, and Kwangchul Youn as Ramfis. And on Sunday afternoon, Nelsons leads works by George Tsontakis, Berlioz, Saint-Saens, and Prokofiev. Lenox. 617-266-1200, www.tanglewood.org

LONGWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Appearing as guests on the Landmarks Orchestra’s series of free Wednesday-night performances, the Longwood Symphony — made up of professionals from the city’s medical community — performs works by Dvorak, Mozart, and Kevin Kaska. Aug. 24, 7 p.m., Hatch Shell at theEsplanade. 617-987-2000, www.landmarksorchestra.org

JEREMY EICHLER

ARTS

Theater

AND NO MORE SHALL WE PART Jane Kaczmarek (“Malcolm in the Middle’’) delivers a quietly shattering performance as a middle-aged woman contemplating suicide in the face of terminal illness, and Alfred Molina excels as the husband desperately afraid of losing her. Directed by Anne Kauffman, this superb US premiere of Tom Holloway’s play offers a succession of intensely human moments. Few dramas have captured the end of life with more emotional truthfulness. Through Aug. 21. Williamstown Theatre Festival at Nikos Stage, Williamstown. 413-597-3400, www.wtfestival.org

CONSTELLATIONS A small gem by the young British playwright Nick Payne about love, fate, parallel universes, and the infinite possibilities of any human life. Performed with piercing subtlety by Kate Baldwin, as a theoretical physicist, and Graham Rowat, as a beekeeper with whom she falls in love. Directed by Gregg Edelman. Through Aug. 27. Berkshire Theatre Group at Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge. 413-997-4444, www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD This 1995 theatrical song cycle demonstrates why composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown (“The Last Five Years,’’ “The Bridges of Madison County’’) began to attract a devoted following — and also why he got on some people’s nerves. Elegantly staged by Robert Walsh and ably performed by a talented cast of five led by Broadway veteran Barbara Walsh (the director’s cousin), the show is loosely structured around a series of defining moments faced by unnamed characters who have decisions to make on circuitous journeys of self-discovery. Through Aug. 27. Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester. 978-281-4433, www.gloucesterstage.comDON AUCOIN

CHATHAM DANCE FESTIVAL Set in a concert tent on 100 bucolic acres in Columbia County, N.Y., the festival continues its summer programming with the Chase Brock Experience. The lively Brooklyn-based contemporary dance company offers four works by Brock, including the showbiz high jinks of “Mission Implausible.” Aug. 19-20. $18-$35. PS21, Chatham, N.Y. 518-392-6121, www.ps21chatham.org

KAREN CAMPBELL

Galleries

NEW YORK SOCIETY OF WOMEN ARTISTS, 1925 Weary of being seen as dabblers and Sunday painters, 26 artists formed this modernist group to provide an outlet for non-academic women painters. Six are on view here, including Marguerite Zorach and Blanche Lazzell. Pictured: Agnes Weinrich’s “Flowers in Vase.’’
Through Aug. 25. Julie Heller Gallery, 2 Gosnold St., Provincetown. 508-487-0955, www.juliehellergallery.com CATE McQUAID

DOUG AITKEN: AUTUMN In this 1994 video, Aitken mixes footage from three of his commercial music videos, striking a rhythm of movement and stillness, as he touches on teen longing and ennui and prods at the blurry line between art and entertainment. Through Aug. 27. Rosebud, 683 Main St., Waltham. 781-736-3434, www.brandeis.edu/rose/

JUDITH ROTHCHILD: CABINET DE CURIOSITES
Rothchild is a master of the mezzotint, a labor-intensive printmaking technique that requires roughening and burnishing the plate to achieve nuanced tones. Her still lifes glisten with light, and they drop into deep, velvety shadows. Through Sept. 10. Childs Gallery, 169 Newbury St. 617-266-1108, www.childsgallery.comCATE McQUAID

Museums

O’KEEFFE, STETTHEIMER, TORR, ZORACH: WOMEN MODERNISTS IN NEW YORK This show examines the parallel careers of Georgia O’Keeffe, Marguerite Thompson Zorach, Florine Stettheimer, and Helen Torr in New York in the early 20th century. Through Sept. 18. Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland, Maine. 207-775-6148, www.portlandmuseum.org

RODIN: TRANSFORMING SCULPTURE A survey of sculptures in plaster, bronze, and marble, along with related drawings by the greatest sculptor of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through Sept. 5. Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem. 978-745-9500. www.pem.org

EXPLODE EVERY DAY: AN INQUIRY INTO THE PHENOMENA OF WONDER More than 20 contemporary artists from the United States, as well as Canada and France, feature in an ambitious show designed to explore — and activate! — the condition of wonder. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org

SEBASTIAN SMEE

EVENTS

Comedy

CHRIS FLEMING Fleming made a big splash on the Internet with his Web series “Gayle,” but there’s more to him than that. These days he’s doing stand-up as himself, a gonzo storyteller and gifted physical comedian. Aug. 18, 8 p.m. $22. The Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., Arlington. 781-646-4849, www.regenttheatre.com

MARK GALLAGHER’S ONE MEN SHOW This is one comedian (Gallagher) playing multiple characters (thus “One Men”) for two shows. Gallagher has been building up his arsenal of oddballs for eight years, and he’s taping the shows to make a special that he’ll post online. Aug. 20, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. $10. Griffen Theatre, 7 Lynde St., Salem. 978-317-1169, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2570913

Fisherman’s Feast Boston’s oldest continuous Italian festival, the Feast has been an annual celebration for over 100 years. Be sure to stick around to see the Madonna del Soccorso statue.
Aug. 21, 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Free. North End, Hanover St. 617-590-1957 www.fishermansfeast.com/index.html